Blues Assignment

We Have examined to Folk Music Predecessors to Blues ( Work Songs, Spirituals etc.) , Early Delta Blues, and Modern Blues in Class.

This Music spans over 100 years and when listening to examples from different time periods side by side, it is easy to hear the differences between them, and hear that much has changed regarding the style. For the Activity you will be comparing 3 different blues' from 3 different time periods. And Early Delta Blues, a blues from the 1970's, and a recent blues from the 2000's.

Your Assignment is to (1) Research, (2) Analyze, and (3) Interpret after comparing blues examples you find, to a delta blues of my choice.

Your research and Analysis will be collected today, and your interpretation will be collected tomorrow at the beginning of class.

My Choice - Delta Blues

You will Compare blues YOU find to this example of a delta blues - Maybe the most famous example of Delta Blues

ResearchFor the research portion, you will be required to find 2 different examples of blues.

1 Example must have been Recorded between 1970 and 19801 Example must have been Recorded between 2005 and Present time

Analyze / Examine

This is where you are dissecting the song. Remember when we analyze we are leaving our owntastes out of the question, and simply trying to describe the aspects of the song in as much detail as possible. For theexample I provided, as well each of your examples, come up with as many detailed musical observations as possible. ​Do your best to put these in paragraph Form

These could be things like the examples below, However you are NOT limited to these:

This is where your own tastes and preferences come into the question. In your analysis portion you examined ; what were theactual changes to the style Over the course of time. Now you get to express your opinion of those changes. Did you Like them? Dislike them? Why?Would you rather Listen to an older example or newer Example?

First Rank from best to worst your 3 examples. Then , in a couple paragraphs ( 1-2 page double spaced), defend your ranking. Some questions to think about:

-Which did you like the sound of more? -Why dod you think modern blues sounds different than Delta Blues?-Do you think changing the aspects of delta blues makes modern blues more authentic ? Less authentic? a totally different genre? -Do you think a Delta Blues Artist from the 1930's would approve of the changes to the style?